Joseph Schooling facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joseph Schooling

Schooling at the 2015 World Championships
Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Singapore's Flying Fish"
Born	(1995-06-16) 16 June 1995 (age 30) Singapore
Height	1.84m
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, Freestyle, Medley
College team	University of Texas, Austin
Coach	Sergio López Miró Gary Tan Eddie Reese, Kris Kubik (University of Texas)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Singapore Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships (LC) 0 0 2 Asian Games 3 1 3 Commonwealth Games 0 1 0 Southeast Asian Games 29 3 2 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly World Championships (LC) Bronze 2017 Budapest 100 m butterfly Bronze 2015 Kazan 100 m butterfly Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta 100 m butterfly Gold 2018 Jakarta 50 m butterfly Gold 2014 Incheon 100 m butterfly Silver 2014 Incheon 50 m butterfly Bronze 2018 Jakarta 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2018 Jakarta 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2014 Incheon 200 m butterfly Commonwealth Games Silver 2014 Glasgow 100 m butterfly Southeast Asian Games Gold 2021 Hanoi 100 m butterfly Gold 2021 Hanoi 4×100 m medley Gold 2019 Philippines 100 m butterfly Gold 2019 Philippines 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2019 Philippines 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2019 Philippines 4×100 m medley Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 50 m butterfly Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 100 m butterfly Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 100 m freestyle Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2017 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m medley Gold 2015 Singapore 50 m butterfly Gold 2015 Singapore 100 m butterfly Gold 2015 Singapore 200 m butterfly Gold 2015 Singapore 50 m freestyle Gold 2015 Singapore 100 m freestyle Gold 2015 Singapore 200 m medley Gold 2015 Singapore 4×100 m medley Gold 2015 Singapore 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2015 Singapore 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 100 m butterfly Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 200 m butterfly Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 200 m medley Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 4×100 m medley Gold 2013 Naypyidaw 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Palembang 50 m butterfly Gold 2011 Palembang 200 m butterfly Silver 2019 Philippines 50 m butterfly Silver 2019 Philippines 100 m freestyle Silver 2011 Palembang 200 m medley Bronze 2021 Hanoi 4x200 m freestyle Bronze 2011 Palembang 100 m butterfly Representing the Texas Longhorns Event 1st 2nd 3rd NCAA Championships 12 2 3 Total 12 2 3 By race Event 1st 2nd 3rd 50 y freestyle 0 0 1 100 y butterfly 2 1 0 200 y butterfly 2 0 0 4×50 y freestyle 2 0 0 4×100 y freestyle 1 1 0 4×200 y freestyle 1 0 0 4×50 y medley 1 0 2 4×100 y medley 3 0 0 NCAA Championships Gold 2015 Iowa City 100 y butterfly Gold 2015 Iowa City 200 y butterfly Gold 2015 Iowa City 4x100 y medley Gold 2016 Atlanta 100 y butterfly Gold 2016 Atlanta 200 y butterfly Gold 2016 Atlanta 4x50 y freestyle Gold 2016 Atlanta 4x200 y freestyle Gold 2016 Atlanta 4x100 y medley Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x50 y freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x100 y freestyle Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x50 y medley Gold 2017 Indianapolis 4x100 y medley Silver 2016 Atlanta 4×100 y freestyle Silver 2017 Indianapolis 100 y butterfly Bronze 2015 Iowa City 4×50 y medley Bronze 2016 Atlanta 4×50 y medley Bronze 2017 Indianapolis 50 y freestyle

Joseph Isaac Schooling (born 16 June 1995) is a former professional swimmer from Singapore. He is famous for swimming in butterfly, freestyle, and medley events. Joseph Schooling made history by winning Singapore's very first Olympic gold medal. This happened in the 100-meter butterfly race at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. His winning time of 50.39 seconds set new records for Singapore, Southeast Asia, Asia, and the Olympics.

Joseph Schooling went to the Anglo-Chinese School and later graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. There, he was part of the Texas Longhorns swimming team, which is one of the best college swim programs. He first qualified for the Olympics in 2012. This was after he won the 200-meter butterfly at the 2011 SEA Games.

On 2 April 2024, Joseph Schooling announced that he was retiring from competitive swimming. He plans to focus on his swim school and other business projects.

Joseph Schooling's Early Life

Joseph Schooling was born and grew up in Singapore. His parents are May and Colin Schooling. His father, Colin, was a businessman who played water polo and was a hurdler for Singapore. His mother, May, was a professional tennis player.

Joseph's great-uncle, Lloyd Valberg, was Singapore's first Olympian in 1948. He inspired Joseph to dream of competing in the Olympics.

Schooling started his education at Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore. In 2009, he moved to the Bolles School in Florida, United States. In 2010, he began training with Sergio Lopez Miro, who later became Singapore's national head coach. After high school, in 2014, he joined the University of Texas at Austin.

Sadly, Joseph Schooling's father, Colin Schooling, passed away on 18 November 2021 at the age of 73.

College Swimming Career

Joseph Schooling had a very successful time swimming for the University of Texas, Austin. He won many titles at the NCAA Championships.

NCAA Championship Wins

In 2015, Schooling won two individual titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly races. He also helped his team win the 400-yard medley relay, setting new records.

In 2016, he defended his butterfly titles, again setting new records in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. He also won gold medals in several team relay events.

In 2017, Schooling continued his success, earning four gold medals in relay events. He also won a silver medal in the 100-yard butterfly and a bronze in the 50-yard freestyle.

Overall, Joseph Schooling finished his college swimming career with an impressive 12 NCAA titles. These included 4 individual titles and 8 relay titles.

Joseph Schooling's International Swimming Career

Joseph Schooling has competed in many major international swimming events, representing Singapore.

First Olympic Qualification

At the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, Schooling's time in the 200-meter butterfly race was fast enough to qualify him for the 2012 London Olympics.

Commonwealth Games Success

Schooling became the first swimmer from Singapore to win a medal in swimming at the Commonwealth Games. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Asian Games Achievements

His big breakthrough came at the 2014 Asian Games. He won the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 51.76 seconds, setting a new Asian Games record. This was Singapore's first gold medal in men's swimming at the Asian Games since 1982. He also won a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly and a silver in the 50-meter butterfly.

At the 2018 Asian Games, he successfully defended his 100-meter butterfly gold medal. He also won gold in the 50-meter butterfly. He helped his team win bronze medals in two freestyle relay events.

SEA Games Dominance

At the 2015 SEA Games held in Singapore, Schooling was amazing. He competed in nine events and won gold medals in all of them, breaking Games records. His time in the 50-meter freestyle broke a 33-year-old national record.

At the 2017 SEA Games, he won all six of his events and broke four Southeast Asian records.

At the 2019 SEA Games, he won four gold and two silver medals.

At the 2021 SEA Games, Schooling won two gold medals and one bronze. He has won the 100-meter butterfly event at the SEA Games five times in a row since 2013.

World Championships Medals

Kazan 2015 - Schooling 100m butterfly

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, Schooling earned Singapore's first-ever medal at this event. He won a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly. He also broke Asian records in both the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly events.

At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, he won a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly. He also broke his own Asian record twice in the 50-meter butterfly.

Olympic Gold Medalist

On 12 August 2016, Joseph Schooling made history at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He won a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly race with a time of 50.39 seconds. This was Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal. His time also set a new Olympic record, beating the previous record held by Michael Phelps.

In the semi-finals, Schooling swam 50.83 seconds, which was a personal best, a national record, and an Asian record at the time.

After his historic win, the Singapore National Olympic Council awarded Schooling S$1 million (about US$740,000). A portion of this money goes back to the Singapore Swimming Association to help train future swimmers. Singapore's system of rewarding athletes for excellence is known as one of the largest Olympic cash prizes in the world.

To celebrate his amazing achievement, a victory parade was held in Singapore.

Later Olympic Games

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Schooling did not qualify for the semi-finals in the 100-meter butterfly or the 100-meter freestyle. Despite this, many Singaporeans showed their support for him.

Recent Competitions

Schooling decided not to participate in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. He explained that he felt he was not at the level he expected of himself.

He was also not selected for the 2022 Asian Games in China. Singapore Aquatics stated that other swimmers had clocked faster times during the qualification period.

Joseph Schooling's Personal Life

In August 2016, Joseph Schooling was allowed to delay his National Service (NS) until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This deferment was granted because he was seen as a potential medal winner who could bring national pride to Singapore. He began serving his National Service on 3 January 2022, but was allowed short breaks for training and competitions.

In June 2018, Schooling started his own swimming school called Swim Schooling. His mother, May Schooling, manages the school.

In September 2024, Schooling joined a company called Vertex Holdings as an associate.

Awards and Recognition for Joseph Schooling

Joseph Schooling has received many awards for his achievements.

• Meritorious Service Medal (2016)

In October 2016, he received the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal). This award was given for his outstanding achievement of winning Singapore's first Olympic gold medal.

On 7 August 2017, a special type of orchid was named after him. It is called Dendrobium Joseph Schooling.

Schooling has also received other important awards:

• The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year, 2016
• The Straits Times Athlete of the Year (2014, 2016)
• Sportsman of the Year (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Images for kids

• 

  Schooling competing in the 100m butterfly at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.

See also

• List of Singapore world champions in sports